An obscure Salifist group called Liwa al-Thawra had initially claimed responsibility for the attack. The group is linked to the illegal Muslim Brotherhood, an extremist sectarian Sunni party banned in Egypt, Syria, Algeria and elsewhere.

This has all the hallmarks of a calculated set of attacks designed to frighten and intimidate Christians on a holy day and restrict the ability of secular Egyptian law enforcement to react to the attack.

Two further terrorist attacks have occurred, this time in Alexandria. 16 are reported killed with 66 injured.

Today’s events bear a frightening resemblance to extremist attacks on Christians which became commonplace during the brief rule of Egypt by Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi between 2012 and 2013.

After Barack Obama withdrew support for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, terrorists became emboldened in a campaign of slaughter against Christians.

Today’s attack comes two days after America’s bombing of the secular Syrian Arab Republic.

As many feared, Christians throughout the Middle East will be among the first to suffer in the aftermath of America’s attack on a secular, multi-faith Arab state which has emboldened Salafist terrorists throughout the region.